Tuesday, April 10, 2012

What's for Dinner: Aunt Pat's Spaghetti with Lots of Vegetables

Finished dish

I got to taste this great spaghetti sauce variation while
visiting Aunt Pat and Uncle Bud in Oklahoma a couple of years ago. Pat is a super cook,
and when I saw this interesting combo of ingredients she had put together, I
just had to have the recipe.

This probably won’t appeal to those who like things plain
and simple, but if you have a sense of adventure, you should give it a try! I’m
a big fan of adding extra vegetables to plainer dishes.

Sautéed vegetables

Recipe: Aunt Pat’s Lots of Vegetables Spaghetti

(Note: You are welcome to add and subtract ingredients as
your tastebuds desire; this is what I used. Pat says she always uses black
olives, but won’t add the green ones unless she knows her company likes them.)

In a large non-stick pan, sauté the squash, peppers, onion, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil
until almost done; add olives and keep warm. At the same time in a different
pan, brown the ground beef and drain it well (I put it on paper towels to
degrease it); add ground beef crumbles to spaghetti sauce in separate sauce pan
and simmer while vegetables are getting done. Add herbs close to serving time. Cook spaghetti and drain.

Divide cooked spaghetti into 4 to 6 bowls. Next, add tomato
and meat sauce, then top with sautéed vegetables.

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About Me

I'm a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Educator. Day job: Outpatient nutrition counseling.
Moonlighting: Food and Nutrition Writer and Recipe Analysis.
I have been writing "Ask the Dietitian"
food and nutrition column since 1985;
my column has appeared weekly in
The Muskegon Chronicle,
The Grand Rapids Press, and
The Jackson Citizen Patriot.